In accordance with the present invention, a composite laminate mirror is provided. The mirror includes a rigid substrate and a reflective sheet laminated to the rigid substrate.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the rigid substrate is a glass substrate.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the reflective sheet is a flexible plastic sheet. The reflective sheet may have a multilayer construction that includes a metallic film such as Mylar(trademark), for example.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the reflective sheet includes a second substrate and at least one thin film layer deposited on the substrate. The second substrate may be a metallic sheet such as a rolled metal sheet. Alternatively, the second substrate may be a plastic sheet.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the thin film layer includes a silver layer.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a thin film silicon dioxide layer is deposited on the substrate. Additionally, a passivating layer such as silicon nitride may be deposited on the silicon dioxide layer. A thin film silver layer may be deposited over the passivating layer.
The present invention also provides a video projection device that includes a cabinet having front and rear sections and a projection tube for projecting a video image. The video projection device also includes a screen located in the front section of the cabinet. The screen has a first surface onto which the video image is projected and a second surface for displaying the video image so that it is observable by a viewer. A mirror is arranged in the cabinet for reflecting light to the first surface of the screen. The mirror is a composite laminate mirror that includes a rigid substrate and a reflective sheet laminated to the rigid substrate.